Town Square

Man collapses and dies, police close street

Original post made
on Sep 17, 2008

A 38-year-old developmentally disabled man collapsed and died shortly after noon Tuesday on Ash Street between Grant and Sherman avenues in Palo Alto, prompting police to close off Ash for a few hours, Police Agent Dan Ryan said.

Posted by Salon owner on California Avenue
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 17, 2008 at 1:56 pm

Dave, you had an impact on all that were lucky enough to have known you. You made our days a little brighter and taught us what it was to be a genuinely good person. You had no agendas or ever a mean word to say. I hope you knew that you were loved by many.
You will be greatly missed. I am honored that I have been able to call you my friend.

If anyone who knew Dave has a photo of him, we would like to post one on the website. Please e-mail me at thanley@paweekly.com.

On a personal note, I will miss seeing Dave around town. He brought a vibrant good humor to everywhere he visited. Dave could often be found at The Counter or La Bodeguita del Medio on California Avenue. He made all around him smile. Our best wishes and deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

Posted by Mike
a resident of College Terrace
on Sep 17, 2008 at 4:07 pm

How sad. I've seen Dave around town for years. I think I've even interacted with him a few times when I worked at Kinko's on California Avenue (the old store at 299, not the new store). Piece be with you Dave.

Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 17, 2008 at 5:57 pm

There is another David who is younger than 35 with special needs who goes to many Paly and Stanford events, often with his family. He is also a very strong sports fan. These two should not be confused.

Posted by Todd McBride
a resident of Addison School
on Sep 17, 2008 at 8:18 pm

Since I am a Palo Alto resident and mailman, I see Super Dave everywhere in Palo Alto as well as he was happily independant. I am DEEPLY sad to see him go. I will miss not giving him a high five! I last saw him waiting for his city bus in Stanford campus last few week and he waved at me with his big smiling face! My heart goes to his family.

Posted by Friend of Dave
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 17, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Whenever I'd see Dave, he'd instantly transport me back to my childhood with conversations about driving in his 5.0, about wrestling, about Paly Sports, and about "the ladies" (and always with a huge grin and wink). Everyone loved Dave. He was an icon at Paly in the early 90's.

On top of it all, his family is an incredible bunch of people. You are all in our thoughts.

Posted by Ronna Devincenzi
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 18, 2008 at 12:03 am

Among all the regulars and visitors to California Avenue, Dave stood out to me as a consistent source of joy for this district. He oozed enthusiasm & radiated a kind of gregarious friendliness towards everyone that, while greatly treasured, is rarely ever seen. On behalf of the California Avenue Area Development Associaton, Dave was much appreciated and he will be sorely missed.

Such a tragic loss. They say one of the characteristics of Williams Syndrome is an extremely friendly and highly social personality. That was surely Dave. When I lived on Stanford campus I would see Dave all the time, and when I ran into him after football games and wanted to complain to him about yet another loss, he was already thinking about the next game and wondered if I liked how the band had played at halftime. Fittingly, the last time I saw him was at Antonio's Nuthouse a few years ago where he had come in, gave me a high 5, drank a soda, and left with a big grin and said "take it easy". Well said. Thanks Dave.

Posted by Suzanne Warren
a resident of another community
on Sep 18, 2008 at 10:57 am

Dave was often at the Twilight Concert Series and was always very enthusiastic. Just one month ago, he was grooving next to Tommy Castro at the California Avenue Concert and was able to get up "close and personal" with Tommy, who is always very gracious with his fans.
He seemed so ecstatic. So hard to believe that now, one month later, he is gone. Be at peace Dave.
Suzanne Warren, producer Twilight Concert Series

I went to high school with Dave. He would always greet you with a smile on his face and sometimes even a wet kiss on the cheek. I know my girlfriends and I will be sad knowing that the guy that referred to many of us as "Pretty Lady" is gone. Even years after graduation I would see him around town and he still remembered my name as he did with most people. He will be missed.

Posted by Blanca
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Sep 20, 2008 at 9:21 am

Dave was a great guy. My brother, husband & I all went to school with him. He always made us laugh with his great outlook on life. I would see him around town & he loved to talk about the good ole times @ Paly as if it was yesterday.
Through the past several years, he would just show up @ my boys' baseball games & root their teams on with great enthusiasm. You couldn't help but to like this guy.

I went to high school with Dave, he loved playing those drums and was usually twirling a drum stick around in his fingers... something the rock stars of that era would do on videos. I just heard the news from a long distance, but we grew up in the same neighborhood. You'll be missed buddy. My condolences to the Hahn family.

Posted by Megan Segoviano
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Sep 22, 2008 at 9:31 pm

-Dave-
you are truly the nicest most genuine person that I have ever known in my 19years of life. I feel truly privileged to have known you as long as I did. I could always count on seeing you at the paly, Stanford and yes even some gunn games cheering on the crowd and players with nothing but enthusiasm that you always possessed. I last saw you about three weeks ago on california Ave with my mom maggie. You had that big ear to ear grin on your face and gave us both big hugs and kiss on the cheek and asked us about our day. If i knew then what I know now I would have stayed longer and talked more.You touched everyone you met dearly and you will be deeply missed dave. you truly are one in a million and i'm glad that I got the privilege to be able to call you my friend.Rest in paradise Dave.

Thank you all for your memories and your heartfelt good wishes. David was and has become larger than life so it's truly hard to believe that we won't see him smiling, walking down the street, greeting everyone with a "What's up?" or a high five. Thank you for helping to keep him alive in our hearts. Take some of his goodness and joy of life, and make it part of your own, share the love, and make the world a better place.

Posted by Jason Cranch
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 23, 2008 at 11:10 am

Wow, I just heard. I knew Dave growing. We lived just a few blocks away, went to many of the same schools. Dave was the most positive and friendly person I knew. You could count on him coming over to chat if he saw you, sometimes just for a minute, but it was impossible not to smile when he did. He had a gift, one he gave all of us. As David's mom suggests, keep a part of his HUMONGOUS heart in yours, remember his smile.
To Dave's parents and family, I offer my sincerest condolences. He helped make the neighborhood and community great.

Posted by Ryan Donahue
a resident of College Terrace
on Sep 23, 2008 at 2:23 pm

Dave, I went to highschool with you and saw you almost every week around Cal Ave. You crazy guy, you always put me in a good mood. My sincere condolences to the Hahn family. You had a very, very special son.

Posted by Lawrence
a resident of Professorville
on Sep 23, 2008 at 3:26 pm

David was my drum student for the last 13 years. I am beside myself with grief...At the memorial service I wish I could have shared some of my Love for David by speaking to his "Fans" but I was unable to compose myself. I appreciate Susan and Michael (Davids Parents) mentioning me at the memorial service as one of a group of people who had a special relationship with David. I will painfully miss my weekly "Jam Session/Lesson" where I would play keyboard and David would be on the drums. David would express uninhibited joy and imagine we were on stage playing for all of our "fans". Some of the songs had vocals and David loved joining me in singing the songs. David would be waiting for me each week outside his apartment door and greet me with a Huge Hug! I was always amazed when he would tell me how great life was...
Thanks David for being my dear friend and teacher...you will always be in my Heart.

Posted by Leticia Eng Barr
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Sep 23, 2008 at 5:38 pm

My sincerest condolences to the Hahn family. My husband was in Dave's graduating class with me a year behind and my brother in his sister's class. Dave was truly memorable and a wonderful person who touched the lives of so many. May he rest in peace.

Posted by Chris Grejtak
a resident of Los Altos
on Oct 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Having moved to Connecticut this summer we have been somewhat removed from much of the news in the local community, but the news of David's untimely death was indeed a shock to us. David was special in many ways to anyone he touched, but for our family he was indeed special. Knowing the many challenges that David faced in life, we have always been excited to see what David has accomplished and the impact that he has had on people in all the different aspects of his life. It is not enough to say he will be missed - the key is that he will always be remembered. Our prayers are out to the Hahn Family - he set the way for many others like him and for that there is a special prayer for what David meant to us.

Posted by Aran Kelly
a resident of Ohlone School
on Aug 12, 2009 at 12:20 pm

I went to elementary school with Dave (and his sister Laurie). He would light up a room, man. I don't think he was "dis" abled. I think David Hahn led a fulfilled life, accomplishing as much if not more than most "abled" persons. Too bad something out of his control stopped him short. My love and support go out to David, his mom, sister, family, and any one who knew him.

Posted by Eric Hollister
a resident of Hoover School
on Aug 17, 2009 at 2:31 am

It's tough for me to write (and read the outpouring of thanks, praise and condolences) about Dave because of everything he did for us and more over, what he represents to me. Dave embodies the true spirit and essence of athletics and what life is all about; following your passion and your heart while taking on life with almost wreckless abandon and a HUGE, beautiful smile.

When I think of Dave, I think of little league games on Middlefield, Stanford basketball/football games or just about ANY athletic event in Palo Alto or Stanford. Little league (and life as I made it for me and my family) wasn't so easy; I wasn't a Mikey Smith or Peter Fukahara (great guys even outside of the athletics :0) ) and I was a little bit of a spaz. You know, documented ADD, blah, blah, blah; needless to say, I made it REAL easy for others to pick on me. One day after a practice in which I was completely humiliated by my baseball coach and a few team members, Dave came up to me when I was waiting for my mom on the bleachers and said, "Don't worry, man it's o.k.; they didn't mean it". Didn't mean much to me then, ironic too because Dave was one of the cool guys. Hang'n out with Dave meant that you WERE someone; I wanted to be a better ball-player just so I could hang out with Dave and the rest of the jocks.

It wouldn't be till jr. high when I saw him at a Stanford football game and a few weeks later when I heard he took drum lessons from the same killer drum teacher that I did (Lawerence S. mentioned above) that it clicked. Dave had it all; he didn't have a need or desire to follow the rest of the rats into their respective sewage holes or get down on the little things. He wanted to be a part of everything athletic and indigenous to our own little Palo (now shallow) alto.

What it really comes down to is that he was the mascot and ultimate model for EVERYTHING athletics represented to us(even the Fukaharas and Smiths) just trying to live out a little childhood fantasy: true passion, heart-felt sincerity, honesty, integrity, strength, perserverance, outright courage and a huge/FAT grin. Dave chose to follow his heart and in the end he broke my mine; the day Dave passed was the saddest day in my life since since the day my college dog passed away or a month earlier when my grandmother left me; that hurt.

However, Dave, you are an inspiration and a guiding light for me (straight up, always have been); I've recently chose to follow my passion (cooking) and not the other rats around me. Thanks Dave, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. MUCH LOVE and huge gratitude to you and your wonderful mother; you're both true saints. XXXXXXXXX R.I.P. SuperMAN!

Posted by Jim White
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on Aug 27, 2009 at 1:01 pm

Hi, I just now Read about Dave's Passing. I was in Mr Dondero's Class with Him and he was such a cool guy and he did love his Sports. He always had a great attitude and he will be greatly Missed.My prayers go out to the Hahn Family and Dave will always be missed. He was Truly a great Guy..

Posted by fireman
a resident of another community
on Aug 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Many Firefighters know,respect and like Dave. I remember talking with Dave many times. People like Dave kept me going as a Firefighter and a Paramedic. Dave and his sports, always and that Stanford ball cap.. Dave there is 1 more start in the Hall of Fame. It is YOU my friend..

Posted by Eric
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Aug 27, 2009 at 4:52 pm

People are working on getting David memorialized but we need ALL of your help; even if you THINK (god forbid)you can't do anything, I KNOW you can; even if it's just a Faceboook notification. We are focused and ready to get Dave and his contagiously happy personality out to the rest of us that need a little smile and wake up call. Please contact me directly and I will get you in touch with his teacher and get you on David's team.

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